Team USA set for Mondays Paratriathlon World Championships

AUCKLAND, New Zealand - A talented group of 31 paratriathletes, including 11 members of the USA Paratriathlon National Team, will represent the United States on Monday at the 2012 International Triathlon Union (ITU) Paratriathlon World Championships.

The world championships is scheduled to take place Monday afternoon and is the final event of four days of competition in Auckland, which will host the ITU World Triathlon Series Grand Final on Saturday and Sunday. Nearly 400 Americans are slated to compete in the events, which also include sprint- and Olympic-distance age group triathlon world championships, as well as aquathlon, junior and under-23 events.

The paratriathlon event features a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike and a 5-kilometer run, starting and finishing at Queen's Wharf.

Members of the USA Paratriathlon National Team earned their spots in Auckland with first-place category finishes at the 2012 USA Paratriathlon National Championship, held in Austin, Texas, on May 28. The eleven athletes on the roster from the national team include:

Erica Davis (TRI-1, Carlsbad, Calif.)

Geoffrey Kennedy (TRI-1, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico)

Melissa Stockwell (TRI-2, Chicago, Ill.)

Mark Barr (TRI-2, Galveston, Texas)

Beth Price (TRI-3, Spanish Fort, Ala.)

Sean Vangerena (TRI-3, Orlando, Fla.)

Robin Caruso (TRI-4, Ridgefield, Conn.)

Daniel Hathorn (TRI-4, Virginia Beach, Va.)

Patricia Collins (TRI-5, Harker Heights, Texas)

James Brown (TRI-5, Carlsbad, Calif.)

Patricia Walsh (TRI-6, Austin, Texas)

Stockwell looks to defend her TRI-2 world title for the third consecutive year, and TRI-5 competitor Danielle McLaughlin (Ramona, Calif.) also returns to defend her 2011 world title.

The U.S. won eight medals at 2011 Paratriathlon Worlds in Beijing. In addition to Stockwell and McLaughlin, silver medalists Price and Andre Kajlich (TRI-1, Seattle, Wash.) and bronze medalist Walsh also return in search of more hardware.